1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automated system and a method for synchronizing an automated system. An automated system can be understood to mean a production line, but also any other automation approach in the field of mechanical engineering.
2. Description of the Background Art
In automated systems which include at least two electrical components, for example production lines or also CNC machines, synchronization of the individual components is necessary. Thus, grippers and machining units such as drills must be coordinated with one another so that the machining does not begin until the gripper has brought a component to be machined into the desired position. To ensure the highest possible machining speed, position measurement using sensors is not desirable. Instead, machining is carried out based on time information which is sent to the components via a signal network.
A method for time synchronization in a cyclically operating communication system is known from EP 1 657 619 B1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 8,126,019. In this method, absolute time information is sent one time to all participants in the communication system, and is used as a reference quantity for computing in each case a local time for each of the communication participants. The absolute time information is present in the format “2000-04-01, 16:05:30, 123,” for example.